Introspective

Recently I've noticed many of my favorite bloggers are posting about personal struggles. It seems a lot of people right now are going through some type of distress. I've read everything from a random bout of sadness to intense burnout. Stories of 'oh my god, I can't believe I lived through that' to 'oh my god, how can I live through this?'

In a way, it's comforting to know that everyone else has struggles and triumphs and fears and dreams. And that it's not just me. I try to maintain a fairly up beat, but neutral, tone here at The Finical Feline. But ask anyone that knows me - even a little - I am not a neutral person. And right now, I too have my own struggles, dramas and fears. 

I was very, very upset this week. A client treated me incredibly poorly. The two cats I groomed today were especially difficult and I wasn't pleased with the final result. Several of my personal pets aren't doing well. There are changes I want to make, but I'm not even sure how to begin making them, let alone the viability of such choices. 

I'm not really sure where I was going with this. I guess I'm just trying to say be a little kinder to those you interact with. Things are tough all around. And you never know who's going through an especially hard time. And I know it's hard sometimes to smile at someone instead of ignoring them. Or to explain something - yet again - instead of yelling or being snarky. Oh, man is it hard! But maybe a cheery 'good morning!' will make their entire day. Or taking a second to thank someone honestly (not sarcastically) will soften your day and make it just a little bit better. Give it a try. I'll try, too. It might be hard for both of us, but, just maybe, it will get easier. 

There are bad things in the world. There's no getting away from that. 

But that doesn't mean nothing can be done about them. You can't abandon life just because it's scary, and just because sometimes you get hurt. 

-Harry Dresden, Turn Coat

I'm Here!

I swear it! Taking a vacation is hard work, I had no idea. In fact, I just finished the last of the vacation laundry. I'm not sure how it took two weeks to get that done, but at least it finally is.

Bubba the Russian Blue 

I've been super busy since returning to Maryland. In addition to all the post vacation work, my old lady horse bumped her knee pretty badly, so I've been spending lots and lots of extra time babying her. The good news is that she's doing much better AND she only needs one more day of stall rest. Whew!

Moses the Himalayan

Since I don't have a 'real' post today, I thought I'd just pop in, wave, and say hi. And I can do that, 'cause it's my blog! Because you can't see me wave, I decided to toss up a few pictures. I opened a random folder and found pictures of grumpy old men. Well, cats. It cracked me up, and I knew that was what I wanted to share with the world. 

Hurley the Himalayan

All of these cats are regular customers. And they are all really nice cats. But they all have classically 'grumpy old man' faces! 

Moby the Domestic Shorthair

I hope this amused you as much as it did me! I love when cats look grumpy. Especially if they're not really grumpy. No one in this bunch was actually unhappy while I groomed them. It just looks like it. Hmmm...not sure if that's really much better..!

Greetings from sunny South Carolina

Recently I've been working really hard. And it's summertime. So I thought I would go on vacation. Take a few days off, have some fun, relax...you know, have a break! But then I realized I would miss grooming cats. So I decided to head to Greenville, SC and do both!

NCGIA Cat Grooming School

The National Cat Groomer's Institute of America's Cat Grooming School is holding an Advanced Cat Grooming Course. Open to Certified Feline Master Groomers or school graduates only (I'm both!) it offers us a chance to brush up on our skills. Today was the first day, and I have to admit, I was pretty nervous! I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I be able to groom my cats? Would the other students be friendly? Would the instructors be nice and able to help me? Would the cats eat me alive? 

C2 - one of the school cats

Unsurprisingly, my worries were completely unfounded. I groomed two very nice cats, Sweat Pea and Miss Kitty.  Using just those two kitties, I got a chance to refine my skills, learning a few tricks, some new ways to do things and some nice handling techniques. I got great instruction from my teachers, Lynn and Olivia. The other students are great. With just four of us, we're getting lots of personal instruction. Plus it's easy to listen in on what everyone is doing and pick up tips that way. 

Falls Park, the perfect place to study!

I'm really enjoying my time here. Love Greenville! The weather is fantastic, the city is gorgeous and fun to wander around in, my classes are fabulous and I'm just having an all out great time. Don't worry, I'll be back in Maryland and ready to groom your cats soon enough. 

*First two pictures are shamelessly stolen from the NCGIA. When I get home, I'll share some of my own photos.